Parinay (by Basanti)

Part 8

Chapter 8A

Before he could complete the remainder of his apology he saw something whiz towards him and fall on him. He held the body to support himself from falling down and before he could react he felt a pair of quivering lips upon his.
Arnav's eyes closed on their own accord when he felt a pair of quivering lips upon his, the lips providing the only source of warmth in the wet weather. It was Kushi's lips, Kushi had kissed him. The awareness of this knowledge exhilarated him, the kiss reassuring that he had done the right thing and that their life could finally begin. Kushi had never kissed anyone quite like this before, but when she saw Arnav waiting like this for her, completely drenched, just to apologise to her, in spite of the fact that the events of today were a result of her doing, she wanted to do something to tell him that his apology and persistence had finally moved her, brought down those barriers forever. She didn't intend the kiss to be a intimate display of attraction or affection, it was an expression of her own apology and her acceptance of new beginnings.
Arnav understood the wordless message and he let the kiss remain just that; a kiss, a mere touch of their lips, a mere coming together of their paths and possibly their lives together, a promise to do their absolute best to make this marriage work. He didn't extend the kiss and let Kushi take the lead.
He was a man who had shared many a kisses in the past, but the innocent gesture from Kushi had filled him with a warmth and glow and for the first time he had realised that a kiss could be more than just a gesture of physical intimacy.
Shortly Kushi moved her lips away from his and tried to take a step away from him, for she wasn't sure if Arnav would perceive the kiss in the same way as her. Arnav held her hand and pulled her to him, holding her close to comfort her, embracing her with a lot of tenderness. Their apologies continued to fill the air around them, Arnav for all the mistakes he had done in the past and Kushi for not giving him a chance. A few moments later when they could no longer stay under the water, Kushi invited Arnav to her home. Arnav accepted the offer and when Kushi was about to walk to her home, Arnav held her arms. Kushi looked at their entwined arms, Arnav took a step to reach her and then the two of them walked hand in hand, each of them taking a step towards a new phase in their lives, together.
Much later once Kushi had changed into a fresh set of clothes and Arnav had dried himself with a towel in the bathroom, they both sat in the living room which was partially lit by a candle with glass of tea keeping them company. They both tried to keep the conversation light, each of them scared to talk about anything serious, lest the spell was broken.
'Why didn't you wait inside your car?' Kushi asked while she took a sip of the hot tea, the tea spreading its warmth inside her body.
'I left the car at the garage for service. Its been a year since I bought it.' Arnav replied while taking a bite of the biscuit Kushi had served with the tea. 'These biscuits are good.'
'Oh! Is that why you were waiting under the tree?' She asked him innocently. She had assumed that he had waited in the rain for her, she found the whole idea rather dramatic yet a bit romantic.
'Of course Kushi. Did you want me to wait for you outside even if I had the car?' He asked her in a teasing tone. Kushi looked away blushing, the real intention behind her question had become obvious.
'Either way, car or no car it doesn't matter. I would have still waited here to apologise to you and change your mind.' He reassured her.
Kushi nodded her head in understanding.
'I'm hungry do you want to eat some food?' Arnav asked Kushi.
Once Arnav picked up dinner from 'Happyji's Dhaba,' not far away from bua's home, the two of them ate their dinner in companionable silence. Once dinner was over Arnav helped Kushi clear the plates and clean the table.
They both sat on the small wooden framed couch in the living room, each of them a little apprehensive of how they must approach the discussion.
'So...'
'So...' Kushi giggled nervously, while locking and unlocking her fingers.
'So how do you want to do this?' Arnav asked looking her in the eyes.
'I want us to spend some time together to see where it leads. I need time Arnav. All of this has been so sudden.'
'I understand. This time lets do it the right way. Lets get to know each other and hopefully if things work out well, then you can move into our flat.'
'Our flat?' She asked him with a raised eyebrow.
'Of course its our flat Kushi and you know it too.' He replied confidently.
Kushi looked away and once again she began to lock and unlock her fingers, as if she were unsure about something. Arnav saw the obvious signs of her nervousness.
'Anything you want to ask or share Kushi?'
Kushi looked at him for a moment and then moved her eyes away and nodded her head in the negative.
'Kushi you are a terrible liar. Its obvious something is eating up your mind. Please come out with it.'
'Woh.. There isn't a better way to ask this, but it still needs to be asked. We are starting this new journey together and I need to know this for sure.' Arnav looked at her with a tiny bit of amusement, she did look very cute when got nervous. 'Do you... erm... do you love her? I mean do you still love Lavanya?'
Arnav smiled at Kushi, he then took Kushi's hands in his. 'No I don't. We loved each other at one point and for whatever reasons, we ended it and now we have drifted apart.'
Kushi smiled at him, his response reassuring her, clearing the one big fear and apprehension she had carried.
'Are you sure about it Arnav?' She asked to ensure that this time there won't be any going back.
'Yes, Lavanya and I were finished two years ago. Plus I'm a married man now Kushi.' He repeated his line from two weeks ago.
Kushi continued to hold his hand, in a few seconds he pulled her towards him so that she would lean onto his body. The couple spent rest of the evening in the warmth and secure knowledge of each others companionship.
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'Wow! you look stunning.' Arnav remarked when he saw Kushi walk to his car wearing a red anarkali salwar for their first date together. Kushi blushed and turned her face away and then thanked him. He drove her to a small but old restaurant in Old Delhi to treat Kushi to her favorite street food.
'These pani puris are awesome. Yumm...' Kushi moaned while gulping down another savory puri filled with spicy water. Arnav tried to ignore the mental images her innocent moans were producing.
'Are you still in touch with your family?' Arnav asked as a way of distracting himself the vivid mental images his mind were conjuring up.
'Not with my Maasi. But I'm thinking about calling them soon. You know at least stay in speaking terms.' Kushi said after taking a big gulp of water to wash away the spicy water. Once Kushi had agreed to give Arnav another chance she had felt that it was probably time time to call her Maasi. She felt that she owed it to them, as they had taken care of her.
'What about you Arnav?'
When Arnav hadn't answered, she added, 'Arnav, for what it counts Naani and Di are extremely apologetic. To hold them responsible for the entire mess is wrong, I'd say.' Kushi tried to make Arnav see sense.
'I can see your point Kushi but I need time. I have forgiven them for what they did to me, but I don't think I can forgive them for what they did to you. Maybe because I still cant forgive myself for that.'
'Don't you think its time though?' Kushi asked him as she held his hand placed on the table.
'I'll think about it.' he replied pensively and then brought Kushi's palm close to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.
After their lunch Arnav dropped Kushi at Sharanya's place. Before leaving the car, Kushi thanked him for a wonderful time. Arnav held her hands and thanked her in return. 'Thank you for giving me a chance Kushi.' He then kissed her forehead.
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